Improvement in street sweeping and sprinkling machines



UNITED STATES ATENT Fries.

D. D. FOLEY, OF VASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 14, l 74, dated September 13, 1864.

T0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, D. D. FOLEY, of the city and county of Washington, and District of Columbia, have invented a new and Improved Machine for Sprinkling and Cleaning the Streets 3 and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description ofthe same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a side elevation of my machine, the sideboards being removed for the purpose of exhibiting the interior arrangement. Fig. 2 is a top plan view, the cover being removed for the same reason.

The nature of my invention consists in a machine of simple construction, which may be used a street-sprinkler, and atthe same time having an endless belt and a revolving broom in connection, by means of which the dirt is swept up and deposited in a suitable receptacle within the machine to be carried away.

That others skilled in the art may under stand the construction and operation of my invention, I will m-ore particularly describe it.

A is the water-tank; B, the sprinkler; C, the revolving brush, and I) the endless belt provided with the projecting strips d.

E is the metallic frame carrying the brush C and the rollers of the belt F is the receptacle for dirt, the inclined side pieces, G, of which are hinged at their upper edges, so that when disconnected at the bottom they will swing apart and discharge lthe contents of F upon the ground.

H is a lever, by means of which the brush C and frame E may be elevated from the ground. It is pivoted to the side ot" the frame of the machine at h, and is connected to the frame E by the rod c. The brush C and belt D are driven by belts or gearing connecting them with the main wheel of the machine, as shown in Fig. l.

I is the drivers seat, and J is the lever which operates the sprinkler-valve.

My machine may be constructed of such dimensions as may be most convenient or appropriate considering the locality where it is to be used, and the water-tank may be placed either before or behind the sweeper, as may be desired, these being questions to be decided by the desires of parties using the apparatus.

The broom C may be made in any desired manner, the ordinary construction of bunches of twigs being probably as effective and economical as any.

The frame E should be constructed of two metallic pieces connected together at the ends by the rollers, over which the endless belt I) passes. Other rollers or other devices may he inserted at other points between the ends to give additional strength and to support the central parts ot' the belt, if desired. This frame is pivoted on the axle of the large or main wheels ofthe machine, so that the upper part of the belt l) travels above the said axle and the lower part travels below said axle.

On the end of one of the rollers ot' the belt D is a pulley or equivalent device, by means et' which motion is transmitted to the roller from the main wheel. The rear end of the frame E is turned up anda curved slot is cut through this end, as shown in Fig. l. The curve of said slot is that of the are of a circle whose center is the center of the pivot upon which the frame moves, and in said slot is the box of the journal of the revolving brush C, said box being regulated as to position by the screw S. Upon the outer end of journal of the brush C is a pulley, upon which a belt is placed, through which motion is transmitted from the main wheel to the brush. The endless belt is provided with projecting strips d, which prevent any matter which has been swept upon the belt from falling ot't' again, but rendering it certain to be carried up and deposited in the receptacle F. The bottoms of the side pieces, Gr G, are held in contact by any convenient device which will enable them to be disconnectrd with facility, so that when it is desired to empty the contents of the receptacle F they may swing apart, as shown by the red lines, and the contents be discharged.

In case it is not desirable that the brush should opera-te, it may be elevated from the ground by means of the lever H, as shown by red lines, and it may also be provided with a loose pulley or any similar device to prevent its rotation. When the ends ofthe brush become worn so that they do not thoroughly sweep the ground, the screws S are so turned as to cause the journal of the brush C to descend in its slot, and thereby come nearer to the ground. At the same time the slot, being curved in the manner before described, the

distance between the pulley on the journal E? endless belt D, reolving brush (E,l and and the main driving-pulley remains the same lever U with the water-tank A und Sprinkler and the length of the belt is not changed. '3, substantially :1s described.

Having described my invention, what I claim s 1 I* as new, and des1re to secure by Letters Patent D D TOL JY of the United States, is Witnesses:

The construction of a street sprinkling and t ANDREW WI-II'ITELEY, sweepingnmelline when combining the frame R. D. O. SMiTII. 

